Telephone toll-register.



No. 782,150. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. G. A. LONG.

TELEPHONE TOLL REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED-116.30, 1904.

pressed and the hammer released.

UNITED STATES Patented February 7, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. LONG, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRAY TELEPHONE PAY STATION COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CON- NECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TELEPHONE TOLL-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,150, dated February 7, 1905.

Application filed August 30, 1904. Serial No. 222,721.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LONG, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Toll Registers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to mechanism for use with telephones in what is known as the measured-service system, it being a device which will record each use of the instrument for outgoing calls, the act of making the record operating a signal which can be heard by the central operator. Such a device is seen in my Patent No. 733,494 of July 14, 1903.

The main object of this invention is to so improve the construction of devices of this class as to make it impossibleito operate the register without sounding the signal and also to provide other features of novelty and advantage.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention ready for use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device with parts in normal position, the casing being cut in section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the plunger partially depressed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but with the plunger wholly de- Fig. 5 is a section in plan View on the line 00 a of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the operating parts disassembled, showing also a rear perspective view of the stop-plate.

The operative parts of my telephone tollregister are mounted on a base 1 or projections therefrom.

The arrangement of the register 2, the plunger 3, the gong 4, the hammer 5, and the muffler 6 and the connections between the plunger and the register-lever and between the hammer and the mufiier are substantially the same as illustrated and described in my Patent No. 733,494 of July 14. 1903.

A pin 8 on the plunger engages the bifurcated end of the register-lever 2. A hammercatch 7, pivoted to the plunger, normally engages the hammer 5. A spring 8 connects the hammer-lever with the arm 6 of the muffler 6, holding the former in a normally rested position and causing the latter to press the gong against a projection 1 on the base. The parts are shown in normal position in Fig. 2. Downward pressure on the plunger to the full extent will actuate the register. A cam 3 on the plunger throws the muiiler to release the gong, and the hammer-catch 7 is disengaged from the hammer by the engagement of the trip projection 7 with the muflier-arm 6, leaving it free to be thrown up by the spring 8 to sound the gong. Fig. 4 shows the plunger in its lowermost position, the register-lever having been depressed to throw a new number, the muii'ler being removed from contact with the gong and the hammer-catch being tripped by the muffler-arm to release the hammer.

Thus far, with the exception of the connection between the plunger and the hammer and the manner of releasing it, the arrangement and operation of the parts is the same as in my earlier patent above mentioned.

The connection between the plunger and the hammer, as herein illustrated, comprises a hammer-catch 7, pivoted to the plunger, (or, as in this case, to the side of the muiiier-releasing cam 3,) having a cam-face 7, ending in a notch 7', below which is a trip projection 7. This hammer-catch is normally thrown forward by a spring 7. The parts being in normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that there is a positive engagement between the hammer andthe hammer-catch and a positive engagement by the trip projection striking the mufiler-arm 6, throwing the,

catch 7 back against the pressure of the spring 7" and releasing the hammer. As the plunger moves up to normal position the cam-face 7 throws the catch back until it rides over the pin 5. This positive control of the hammer is an important feature, especially when taken in connection with other improvements which Wlll now be described.

The customary arrangement of the parts of a device of this character (as shown) is such that the downward movement of the plunger first actuates the register and then sounds the alarm. These two effects cannot well be timed to be accomplished simultaneously and as a consequence it often happened that the plunger was depressed sufliciently to throw the register and then released without sounding the alarm which notifies the central operator that the register has been moved. Such accidental or partial manipulation of the mechanism caused considerable trouble and annoyance both to the subscriber and the company.

That part of my invention which will now be described relates to means which I have devised to remove the objectionable features of the earlier appliances of this kind.

At one side of the plunger I locate a stopplate 10, pivotally mounted to oscillate in a vertical plane with its base resting on a spring 11, which permits of the oscillation of the plate, but always tends to return it to its normal position. This stop-plate has oppositelydisposed notches 10 10" on its front and rear faces, as clearly seen in the drawings. In its normal position the stop-plate underlies a pin 12, projecting from the plunger. As the plunger is depressed the pin 12 rides down the cam-face 10 of the plate, throwing it to one side until the pin comes opposite the notch 10, when the spring 11 throws the plate back to normal position, said notch engaging the pin 12 to prevent the plunger rising if pressure is released. This notch is so located that it will engage the pin 12 on the plunger before the register has been moved forward. The plunger cannot now return to its normal position until the pin 12 has traveled down the cam-face l0 and passed under the edge 10, during which travel of the plungerthe hammer is released and the gong sounded. The plunger is now free to rise under the influence of the spring 3 the pin 12 traveling up the cam-face 1O throwing the plate to the left until it reaches its normal position. hen the pin on the plunger comes opposite the notch 10, the stop-plate is thrown to the right under the influence of the spring 3", so that the notch 1O underlies the pin and prevents the plunger being moved downwardly until it has reached the upper limit of its play. This engagement of the pin 12 with the notch 10" occurs before the register mechanism has taken hold to throw up a new number, thus removing any possibility of working the plunger with the pin riding on the rear face of the stop-plate and actuating the register without sounding the gong. Thus it will be seen that when the plunger once starts down and moves far enough to operate the register it must continue in its downward movement until the gong is sounded before it can be raised and distance to cause the mechanism of the register to take hold to throw a new number it cannot be forced down again until it has completed its upward movement and allowed the stop-plate to return to normal position. The positive engagement and disengagement of the hammer in connection with the lockingstops for the plunger in both directions of its movement provide an arrangement in which the objectionable features of prior devices of this class are avoided.

I claim as my invention 1. In a telephone toll-register, a register, a gong, a hammer, a plunger having operative connection with said register, ahammer-catch positively engaging said hammer and operated by said plunger, means for releasing said hammer-catch, the operation of said register and the release of said hammer-catch occurring in succession, and a stop engaging said plunger at a point in its travel between the operation of said register and the release of said hammer-catch.

2. In a telephone toll-register, in combination, a register, a gong, a hammer, a plunger having operative connection with said register, a hammer-catch positively engaging said hammer and operated by said plunger, means for releasing said hammer-catch from engagement with said hammer after said register is operated, and a stop engaging said plunger after the operation of the register and before the release of the hammer-catch to prevent its return to normal position until after the completion of its downward stroke.

8. In a telephone toll-register, in combination, a register, a gong, a hammer, a plunger, a hammer-catch carried by said plunger and positively engaging said hammer, connections between said plunger and the register for operating the latter, means for releasing said hammer-catch operative after said register has been operated, and a stop engaging said plunger after said register has been operated and before said hammer-catch is released to prevent the return of the plunger to normal position before its downward stroke is completed.

4. In a device of the class specified a register, a gong, a hammer, a muffler, a plunger having operative engagement with said register, a hammer-catch positively engaging said hammer, and means for disengaging said catch from said hammer at a predetermined time, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class specified the combination with a register, a gong, a hammer, and a mufiier, of a plunger operatively connected with the register, a catch pivotall y supported on the plunger and having positive engagement with the hammer, and atrip on said catch adapted to engage said muffler at a predetermined time to release said hammer.

6. In a device of the class specilied the combination with a register, a gong, a hammer,

that after it has traveled upward a sufficient i and a plunger having operative connection with said register and hammer, of a stop-plate pivotally mounted in operative relation to the plunger, having notches formed on its front and rear faces to cooperate with a projection on said plunger, and a spring to return said stop-plate to normal position, substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class specified, a register, a gong, a hammer, and a plunger having operative connections with said register and hammer, a stop-plate having front and rear cam-faces which normally lie in the path of movement of a pin, said pin cooperating with said plate, one of said cooperating parts being carried by said plunger, oppositely-disposed notches in said cam-faces to engage said pin intermediate the limits of its travel in each direction, as and for the purposes specified.

8. In a device of the class specified, a register, a gong, ahammer, a plunger having operative connections with said register and hammer, a pin carried by said plunger, a pivoted stop-plate having front and rear camfaces which normally lie in the path of movement of said pin, said cam-faces being oppositely notched to engage said pin intermediate the limits of its travel in each direction, as and for the purposes specified.

9. In a device of the class specified, a reg ister, a gong, a hammer, a plunger having operative connections with the register and the hammer, a pin carried by said plunger, a pivoted stop-plate having a cam-face normally lying in the path of the downward movement of said pin, and a notch in said cam-face adapted to engage said pin at a point intermediate of the limits of its downward travel to prevent its return until its full downward stroke is completed.

10. In a device of the class specified, a register, a gong, ahammer, a plungerhaving operative connections with said register and hammer, a stop engaging said plunger at a point intermediate the limits of its downward travel, means for permitting the free upward movement of said plunger after it has reached the downward limit of its travel, and a spring exerting pressure on said plunger to normally hold it in its up position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. LONG. Witnesses:

EDGAR S. BLAIR, CHARLES TOBY. 

